The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1887-04-20
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WEDNESDAY, APRIL 20, 1887.
THE TRUE STORY OF MAzEPPA.


Leading Facts in the Life of the Rider
Celebrated In Poem, Painting and the
Drama.
A portrait OF Mazeppa, painted from
llfehas been discovered at Kief, In South
ern Russia, and is being engraved by the
Russian academician, Demery Kow-
kosky.
It will surprise nearly everyone who
hears that Mazeppa was real, living
man who could sit for his portrait--he
gems so like purely mythical being,
like BelIerophon or like one OF the ANA
IONS. Yet he was a real man and cut
quite figure In his part Of the world 200
years ago.
John Stephanoviteh Mazeppa was a
Cossack, who made successful war
upon the savage Tartars who desolated
Southern Russia, driving them back TO
the Caspian.
This so recommended him to Peter the
Great that he Invited the Cossack to
his court and covered him with honors
and gifts. But when Peter sent him
against the invading Swedes undcr
Charles XII he betrayed the Russian
and went over with his followers TO the
enemy.
Peter defeated them both and drove
them into Turkish territory. whore,
fearing to fall Into the hands OF his for
mer relentless master, Mazeppa killed
himself.
He had before this hidden all the
treasures which no had anla5sed In
his wars and through gifts from those
he had served, In caverns In the hills
around Kief. The portrait now discoy-
cred was probably hidden at this
time.
The incident by which we know him
actually did occur.
He was by birth Cossack, but when
very young he was. sent to serve as a
page in the court Of the Polish King.
There his beauty and bravery won him
great favor, especially with the la
dies.
With one OF them, the wife Of a
certain noble, he was suspected OF too
great an intimacy and the Jealous hus-
band in revenge ordered him to be bound
naked to the back of o wild horse, that
had never been ridden. The horse was
Tartar horse, from the Steppes, and
when loosed he rushed madly back TO
his native country with the unwilling
rider bound to his back.
The Cossacks received the unhappy
youth when nearly dead from exhaus-
tion, and he grew up among them, re-
marketable for strength and bravery.
Byron got his story out of Yoltaire's
Life OF Charles KILL" and worked 1t
up into his dashing and attractive
poem.
A story SO dramatic was at once seized
upon for adaptation to the stage and II
was presented here as early as 1925 by
an Englishman named Hunter. He also
was q very handsome man and made I
great stir In the town. This was at th'
circus which is now the Walnut Stree
Theatre.
The picture OF Mazeppa bound TO thu
horses back, which everybody knows sc
we'll was painted by Horace Vernet, ons
of tho greatest OF French artists. Yernet
OF course, gothis inspiration from Byron
10 whom we all owe whatever knowledge
We may have Of the brilliant Gossael
rider and soldier.
Mazeppa's real motives for betraylnl
Peter are not certainly known. The
Poles, who look upon him as hero
always have maintained that he had IL
view the welfare OF the Polish nation
and they point to The fact that he slip
ulated with the Swedish King for the
independence Of Poland.
II this be the truth, it gives a certain
dignity to the<s the Russian story
runs more islsoo Al 81 with What other
wise Is known us-suaJ They say that he
was led to 20 over TO the enemy by the
Establishments ola certain Polish prln
cess. This would better correspond with
the lest OF his adventurous career.
Few men, however. who are simply
Adventures get their actions recorded
by a historian Ike Voltaire, and cele-
brated by poet like Byron, and painted
by master like Vernet, and get to be
known by all school boys who speak the
English language, and all this not from
any act OF doing, but one OF suffering
merely. Philadelphia Times.